Worship

Have you ever really thought about the word WORSHIP? Most associate worship with a time of singing songs. Worship is SO much more than just songs. I looked up the definition and this is what I found.

Noun:
1. Reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred.
2. Formal or ceremonious rendering of such honor and homage: They attended worship this morning.
3. Adoring reverence or regard: excessive worship of business success.
4. The object of adoring reverence or regard.

Verb (used with object)

5. To render religious reverence and homage to.
6. To feel an adoring reverence or regard for (any person or thing).

Verb (used without object)
7. To render religious reverence and homage, as to a deity.
8. To attend services of divine worship.
9. To feel an adoring reverence or regard.


Worship can mean many things to different people. When I hear the word I think of it as it relates to the first definition. It relates to Christ and not some “sacred personage”. However, it is easy to see areas in my life where worship relates to work or money. People in a higher “class” are often seen as better or looked at with “reverence or regard”. By definition, this is worship also.

John 4:21-24 says "Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

Ouch! Did you notice it doesn’t say “might” worship Him? It says if we worship Him, then we MUST worship in spirit and truth. If I am not worshiping Him, then truth can become distorted. My spirit can go astray from His presence.

This verse also references true worshipers. This implies there are many who worship, but are not true in their intent or in spirit. What kind of worshiper am I? I will admit there are times in my life when the last thing I feel like doing is worshiping. It could be that I don’t even think about worshiping because I just have too much going on. My schedule is too busy. How many times have I gone through my day without noticing all God has provided for me? I don’t even mean my home, clothing, food, family, etc. I’m referring to the song of the birds; the way He paints the sky with just the right amount of blue, pink, and purple; or the breeze across my face as I step outside and He kisses me good morning. The last definition listed says worship is to feel an adoring reverence or regard for. When I notice the things mentioned, I can’t help but worship God. They are all reminders of his presence. It is in these things that my SPIRIT worships.

Beautiful

I've been described as many things in my life, but beautiful has rarely been one of them. I don't remember ever hearing this word from my parents. Maybe they said it, but I don't remember hearing it. I know I definitely never FELT beautiful. I remember being told to change the way I dress or change how I wear my hair. If only I would change ________, I could be pretty too. Every little girl wants to feel like a princess and hear that she is beautiful. If this is not something you hear or feel as you are growing up, you become a woman who seeks to hear this word about you. You seek to gain attention, even when it is not in a positive way.

The reality is our society's definition of beautiful excludes most of the population. It's this idea of beauty that leads to eating disorders, be it not eating or eating too much. This picture of beauty is why billions of dollars have been spent on plastic surgery to change some perceived imperfection in ourselves. While the economy is in a downturn, the cosmetics industry is still making a big profit. According to Bloomberg, in 2010, L'Oreal reported a 25% increase in profits!

As I've matured in age and grown in my walk with Christ, my definition of beauty has changed. Many of the women I consider truly beautiful may not turn every head the minute they walked into a room. As I've come to know these women, it's because of their spirits that I consider them beautiful. It's their brokenness, their honesty, their integrity, their obedience to God's voice, their unwavering faith that make them amazingly beautiful. This is the kind of beauty I seek to have.

As I was listening to music this morning, God spoke to me through this song...



I was singing the lyrics when I heard God speak to me. He said, "stop singing, I want to sing this to you. This is how I feel about YOU." He says "I just want to wait on you. I want to dwell on who you are (how I made you)....beautiful, beautiful I'm lost for more to say. Beautiful, you're beautiful to me. Here in your presence, I am not afraid of brokenness (I was broken for you). To wash your feet with humble tears (because when you need me, I'm here and I cry when you cry)."

The little girl who has so longed to hear she is beautiful no longer has to yearn for those words. She hears them now. She hears them often. She hears them from her Daddy.

Playing Favorites

 The title given to the first part of James 2 in my bible is "The Sin of Favoritism." I think we can all become guilty of this sin. There are people in our society who are easily recognized as being the "cool kids." I wish I could say I have seen this only during my high school years, but I have witnessed it many times in my adult life and also within the church. I have watched as the wealthy were treated differently or ushered to sit in places of honor within church services. I have witnessed others being asked to sit in the back of the service so as not to be a disruption to others. I have seen many times how churches can have cliques made up of different economic statuses. There are always people who are the exceptions to this rule, but for the most part it has been what I have witnessed. There are people who are kept out of certain "circles" because they don't fit the dress code of the group. I am sure this is not the primary reason for the separation, but have you ever noticed how most groups of friends tend to dress alike? What about where they gather outside of church? If we all have Christ in our hearts, then certainly we should have more in common than just our clothing or are choice of hang out spots, right? Should we not find reasons to love all believers and not just those who "fit in?" 

 As I think more on James 2 I realize I have heard many sermons on the second half of the chapter regarding faith without works. It is quite a popular scripture, especially when volunteers are needed. However, I can't recall preaching on the verses on favoritism. Perhaps it is because it is a sin we are all guilty of committing. I am including myself in this statement.  

 "My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, You sit here in a good place, and say to the poor man, You stand there, or, Sit here at my footstool, have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment." James 2:1-13 

 These verses have caused me to examine my circle of friends. I truly need to do a better job of being open to more diverse friendships. According to these verses, showing favoritism is no less sin than murder or adultery. If I show special treatment to someone simply because of their financial status, then I have sinned. For this I repent Lord. Please show me ways to show your love to all people! I pray for this to change within our churches as well. Let the poor be given as much honor as the wealthy. What stirs in your heart when you read these verses?